Showing results for "given"

• past participle of give.

given

American  

[giv-uhn] / ˈgɪv ən /

verb

1. past participle of give.

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adjective

1. stated, fixed, or specified.

   at a given time.

2. addicted or disposed (often followed byto ).

   given to making snide remarks.

3. bestowed as a gift; conferred.

4. assigned as a basis of calculation, reasoning, etc..

   Given A and B, C follows.

5. Mathematics. known or independently determined.

   a given magnitude.

6. (on official documents) executed and delivered as of the date shown.

noun

• givens
  plural

1. an established fact, condition, factor, etc.

given British  

/ ˈɡɪvən /

verb

1. the past participle of give

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adjective

1. tending (to); inclined or addicted (to)

2. specific or previously stated

3. assumed as a premise

4. maths known or determined independently

   a given volume

5. (on official documents) issued or executed, as on a stated date

noun

1. an assumed fact

2. philosophy the supposed raw data of experience See also sense datum

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-given
  adjective
• ungiven
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• givens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of given

First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective

Explanation

A given is some detail or fact that is known to be true. Your mother might say, "It's a given that I'll always love you, no matter how annoying you are." Something's a given if it's an established situation that you're sure of. It's a given that a first class airplane ticket will cost a lot more than a seat in coach, and it's also a given that the earth orbits the sun. It can also be an adjective: "After considering the given facts, mark an answer on the multiple-choice test." Given comes from the verb give, which has an Old English root of giefan, "to bestow, allot, or commit."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

given givens

The move would likely be well received by investors, they add, given the scale of the AI-related cloud buildout ahead for SpaceX.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Yes, I knew very well that the actual band had given their ringing endorsement to this effort.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Tonda Eckert is free to continue as Southampton manager after being given a suspended ban for his role in the Spygate scandal.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

"IEA members also supported the prioritisation of the release of diesel stocks, to the extent possible, given the current tightness in diesel markets," Birol said in his statement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

That it’s to be expected, given that he’s their contractor.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

His thinking begins instead with three separate givens: God, world, human being.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

They call each other wives, because in 2025 same-sex marriage and parenting are givens, not distant fantasies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025

But coach Bev Priestman suggested that growing parity means there are no givens.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 17, 2023

My criticism is not that these characterizations don’t ring true to me, but that they are givens enacted with such fidelity that they render the world static.

From New York Times ● Aug. 23, 2022

They were, like this new body she was growing into, givens.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez